PREPARATIONS

The next few months was all a blur to James as he spent the most of it either reading the understanding of runes or refining his marrow or practicing the techniques that he had gotten from the repository with Bernard this five techniques would ensure that the practitioner would have a solid foundation as this could cover the five major paths of broadsword techniques although there will be many variation this will be based on a fusion of these five major paths,

As James was practicing this techniques he couldn't help but be intoxicated he had now mastered four of the five techniques to the expertise level and he sensed that he was close to the level of expertise in the last one even his cultivation was progressing at quite the fast rate and he was about seventy five percent done with it this was surprising because other people usually spend years in between the stages while in cultivation,

James knew the only reason why he could practice it that fast was because he was absorbing energy straight from the fourth dimension and not from the environment or from spiritual herbs which vastly reduced the amount of time needed to refine the body it also made his physique more pure and perfect although all this things were doing well but he had made no headway on his study of runes and he didn't think he would make much more headway in it without the necessary material to practice the runes as he had already reached the limit on what theory could do for him, `

Aside from all this he also went to the city library to the city library at his free time to study herbs and their application as he was a top tier bio-chemist he hoped he will use this to help to tip the war in favor which would bring his family status and power which would provide him with more resource for cultivation although there was alchemist in this world the kind that would surpass him in knowledge would not be on this island as earth has because of weakness used their environment to a terrifying degree.

Humanity has even invented biochemical bombs which could massacre millions which was made from just mortal herbs and minerals although this was a cultivation world in which people have superhuman powers and that wasn't his focus mostly on the fourth dimension he believed that with the spiritual herbs on this world and with time he could bring about an absolutely terrifying recipe which would tip the war in their favor he had already come up with an outline to the recipe as he was using some of the herbs that was meant to be used for his training since he didn't need it he used it in training although this wasn't how real alchemy was performed he still made great progress and he was nearing the final phases although he wanted to help the war in other capacities as well.

He knew that he didn't have much of a strategist mind and he knew this world had been in existence for trillions of years of recorded history and throughout this history the had been many wars that it had been distilled into an art so he knew that even if a general from earth came he would just add a different flavor to the war which may or may not impact the war that much because this people weren't backward their technology just took a different path which allowed for individual hegemony and so ignored the collective,

The general would also be stunted by his lack of understanding to their tools of war which was why James decided not to pit his weakness against their strengths and thereby decided to build a biochemical weapon.

"Anna tell the guards am going to the warfront to join my father tell them to prepare themselves and also you should also prepare my stuff and tell Mr. Bernard that I am going to the warfront and I know he will be excited will be since he had been rearing to fight but he had to take care of me which must be frustrating for him"

"Yes young master I would go and inform them right away" she then rushed off to attend to his orders with admiration in her eyes as James had been sparring with the guards and had shown how powerful he was he had been comparable to the late houtian guard in strength which surprised everyone as he had just started training a few months back .

But he was already comparable to late houtian stage experts the reason he could fight those late stage houtian experts was because just refining his skin made him comparable to a middle stage houtian expert even though he was just at the early stage combined with his powerful soul which granted him great control of his body he was comparable to late stage houtian expert he could even fight more than three of them at once and still win ,

These people saw his strength and therefore didn't care that he couldn't reach transcending mortality because transcending mortality experts are hard to produce and just one in ten thousand xiantian cultivators would breakthrough to it which showed how rare it to produce this kind of experts especially in this island so they were hegemons in their respective region most barons were at the half-step transcending mortality expert the same as knight Eric but he because he didn't he didn't have enough status in the raindragon clan he couldn't raise his status but with this war and that viscount Carey had noticed and acknowledged him then he would surely rise in power because viscount carey was the most important member of the family under the patriarchs and one of the most important men in the empire and anyone sheltered by him is under a very big and strong tree which would shield them from the wind and rain so that the young master will only be strong as a peak xiantian realm expert was very strong for them because most of them won't ever break into the xiantian realm

"I've made all the preparations I can make from home if I still dawdle then the war got more out of control or they reach this barony the effect I would have on the war wouldn't matter because we would already be defeated nobles by then and getting back our land and honor among the nobility will be like ascending to heaven and even my research on the final phase of the weapon can't be done here it will need test subject as to complete it and what better test subjects than prisoners of war as the backlash would be minimal "James mused although he was still a little scared to go to war he was still a little more excited fighting had be hardwired into most living being and the more you fight the more you gain in even in earth although most of the large scale wars has cooled down because the feudal system was gone different other types of wars sprung up in their place to fit what humanity considered to be the top of the food chain

A few minutes later James , three of the guards ,Mr. Bernard and kip could be seen waiting on the courtyard after which horses were brought to them this were this were some of the fastest horses the manor currently had although they weren't that strong and wouldn't be able to endure more than a few charges in the battlefield they had a lot of stamina and was more lasting which was what Kip and Bernard thought was best for James as James was not trained as a knight and agility and endurance would more good for him at the battlefield

"Young master there are the money for your upkeep for your journey and a map which shows the safest way to reach the warfront the master told you to come to the third company under lieutenant commander Louis that is the company he serves"

"Young master you should take care of your yourself because of the war destabilizing the region there has been a wide outbreaks of brigand group which has taking to looting this region we even have from reliable source which said one of the three of the major brigand group has two xiantian experts while the other two major groups had one as far as is known where they frequent are clearly marked on the maps so that you can avoid them" kip than gave to James a pouch as James opened it he found fifty black gold coins inside and a very detailed map showing the rest stops, possible danger points and how to avoid it James could see the effort that had gone into it and he could tell that it had probably been drawn by kip himself

"Yes kip I have heard you and I will keep myself safe and I also have Mr. Bernard with me and only a peak xiantian expert or higher can defeat him so I am not overly worried I refuse to believe that a peak xiantian or higher level expert would stoop to robbery I am even surprised they have got up to four xiantian experts in the first place".

"Yes young master but eventualities might occur which is why I plead with you young master to always be cautious and try to listen to Mr. Bernard advice as he has gone to war under the master on baron Edwin's orders" kip couldn't help but literate because he knew what hot-bloodedness can cause along with the young masters sudden gain in strength he couldn't help but think that James would be overconfident in his prowess and thereby kick a steel plate and thereby die.

"I have heard you keep and I will take care of myself "James said he could see the worry in kip's eyes and could infer where they came from but he was not a normal youth and wasn't overconfident because of his few spar with Bernard and his experience from his past life he wouldn't be hot-blooded as he was a scientist who believed that thought should be given to an action before being done

"We are off take care of yourself and the manor ok" then he rode off with his party off to the war James couldn't help but feel as free as a bird with the rest of the household sending him off .

A group of five men could be seen galloping along a grassland plain as they were passing near a small hill in the area a group of fifteen men with mismatched armor hailed them.

"Stop!!! You have to pay the tolls for using this road as it belong to the mountain king gang" one of the men who seemed to be there leader and was missing two front teeth said while him and his gang chuckled evilly. The five men were of course James, Mr. Bernard and the three guards who were peak houtian experts.

As James looked at this people he couldn't help but think of the saying which said if you spent too much time by the rivers you would get your feet wet although banditry was an easy way to make money it came with its own danger especially in such a world as this where people possess extra-ordinary strength you could come across an expert and thereby bring calamity to oneself as was happening right now this fifteen men although they outnumbers James group,

But James group were vastly superior to the others in quality because ten of those men were just highly trained mortals and four of them were early houtian stage experts and their leader the guy with the missing tooth was a middle stage houtian expert this was found out by James and Bernard who had a seed of consciousness which could be used to check up on the amount of spiritual energy a person has thereby determining the persons general level of strength although this was useful this could be negated by using masking techniques to mask their respective auras